LAT editorial on KORUS FTA's prospects in wake of Obama and the Democrats' shellacking

The gist of this piece is something you may have heard already: More Republicans in the House and Senate make passage easier, but President Obama, who may be wary of losing union support, may not push it too hard — publicly at least — lest he run afoul of Big Labor.

Ultimately, I think it will go through, and it's better for Obama to get it done earlier rather than later, so that (if things go badly for jobs) the memory of his betrayal will be as distant as possible. On the other hand, passing it now makes it more likely to yield some positive numbers between now and November 2012.

Meanwhile, Reuters has a handy-dandy list of what's holding up a final agreement on the FTA (hint: cars and cows) ahead of President Obama's Oh Hanma's visit to South Korea for the G20.

Note to Obama (and HT to Wangkon): Koreans love their Hanu beef.